Anastasia Ashman

Her kaleidescopic productions capitalize on a countercultural upbringing in Berkeley, California, a degree in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr, thirteen years of expatriatism (Rome, Kuala Lumpur, the last 8 years in Istanbul with her Turkish husband) and a decade in NYC and LA where she worked with literary agents and producers of film, television, and theatre. The two-time TEDGlobalist is founder of expat+HAREM, the global niche, a community site for identity adventurers. She’s also cocreator of Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey, the 2006 expatriate literature collection endorsed by NBC's Today Show, National Geographic Traveler, and New York Times. In 2008 she produced the Near East’s 1st Global Nomad Salon with Janera.com and in 2010 Forbes.com named her among the top 20 best women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.